Development and preliminary performance of a risk factor screen to predict posttraumatic psychological disorder after trauma exposure.

Objective: We examined data from a prospective study of risk factors that increase vulnerability or resilience, exacerbate distress, or foster recovery to determine whether risk factors accurately predict which individuals will later have high posttraumatic (PT) symptom levels and whether brief measures of risk factors also accurately predict later symptom elevations.

Method: Using data from 129 adults exposed to traumatic injury of self or a loved one, we conducted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of 14 risk factors assessed by full-length measures, determined optimal cutoff scores, and calculated predictive performance for the nine that were most predictive. For five risk factors, we identified sets of items that accounted for 90% of variance in total scores and calculated predictive performance for sets of brief risk measures.

Relationships among traumatic experiences, PTSD, and posttraumatic growth for police officers: A path analysis.

Objective: Law enforcement officers tend to be exposed to a high frequency of potentially traumatic incidents. A dichotomous distinction among these events involves the witnessing of threat or harm to others and the experiencing of threat or harm directly to oneself. Past research suggests that different types of trauma exposure produce varying levels of negative posttraumatic responses including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and positive outcomes such as posttraumatic growth (PTG).

Acceptability and proof of concept of internet-delivered treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress in university students: protocol for an open feasibility trial.

Background: In recent years, university counseling and mental health services have reported an increase in the number of clients seeking services and in yearly visits. This trend has been observed at many universities, indicating that behavioral and mental health issues pose significant problems for many college students. The aim of this study is to assess the acceptability and proof of concept of internet-delivered treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress for university students.

Rapid Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing and Risk Prevention in Residents of Battered Women's Shelters.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and intimate partner violence (IPV) are interconnected public health problems. However, few HIV prevention interventions address the unique needs of IPV survivors in shelter and none of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's best-evidence risk reduction interventions adequately explore the complex relationship between IPV and HIV risk. Although battered women's shelters provide a safe and supportive environment for women in crisis, most do not offer HIV risk reduction services or sexual safety planning.

Comparison of Adding Treatment of PTSD During and After Shelter Stay to Standard Care in Residents of Battered Women's Shelters: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

This study explored the acceptability, feasibility, and initial efficacy of an expanded version of a PTSD treatment developed for residents of battered women's shelters, Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment (HOPE) in women who received standard shelter services (SSSs). A Phase I randomized clinical trial comparing HOPE + SSSs (n = 30) to SSSs (n = 30) was conducted. Primary outcome measures included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (Blake et al.

Affect and neural activity in women with PTSD during a task of emotional interference.

Background: The current study sought to determine the relationship between self-reported dimensions of affect and activation in brain regions associated with emotion regulation in PTSD during a task of non-conscious emotional processing in interpersonal trauma survivors with PTSD and healthy controls.

Methods: Participants included 52 women diagnosed with PTSD and 18 female healthy controls. All participants completed a clinical assessment including the SCID, CAPS, and PANAS followed by a functional MRI assessment including a task of implicit emotional conflict.

A Critical Review of Negative Affect and the Application of CBT for PTSD.

Forms of cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBTs), including prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy, have been empirically validated as efficacious treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the assumption that PTSD develops from dysregulated fear circuitry possesses limitations that detract from the potential efficacy of CBT approaches. An analysis of these limitations may provide insight into improvements to the CBT approach to PTSD, beginning with an examination of negative affect as an essential component to the conceptualization of PTSD and a barrier to the implementation of CBT for PTSD.

Guided Imagery for Total Knee Replacement: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.

Objectives: To determine the effect of guided imagery (GI) on functional outcomes of total knee replacement (TKR), explore psychological and neuroimmune mediators, and assess feasibility of study implementation.

Design: Investigator-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study.

Settings: Hospital, surgeon's office, participant's home.

Child sexual abuse and adulthood-interpersonal outcomes: Examining pathways for intervention.

We examined a dual pathway, longitudinal mediational model in which child sexual abuse (CSA) influences adulthood-interpersonal functioning and sexual risk through its impact on resiliency resources and psychological distress. Women were recruited from two obstetrics and gynecological clinics serving primarily low-income, inner-city women (N = 693) and interviewed at pretest (Time 1) and 6-month follow-up (Time 2). The proposed mediators were resiliency resources (i.

The Mediating Role of Empowerment for African American Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant societal problem associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression, which in turn can cause impairment in a variety of areas. Previous research suggests that African American women experience more frequent and severe IPV than White women, yet report fewer PTSD symptoms related to their abuse. One proposed explanation for this relationship is that African American women are more resilient due to internal coping methods such as empowerment; however, this relationship has yet to be empirically tested.

Predictors of posttraumatic stress-related impairment in victims of terrorism and ongoing conflict in Israel.

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of self-reported impairment (Criterion F) as part of a probable DSM-IV diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within a sample of 1001 Israeli Jews subjected to direct and indirect exposure to rocket attacks. Further, the present study aimed to investigate predictors of endorsing posttraumatic stress (PTS)-related impairment, with specific attention to the influence of resources and resource loss. Data were collected via phone surveys.

HOPE for battered women with PTSD in domestic violence shelters.

Do you feel overwhelmed when attempting to treat battered women with ongoing safety concerns? Could battered women in shelters benefit from psychotherapy in addition to the case management they traditionally receive? What type of treatment would be most beneficial for battered women in shelters? Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most prevalent disorder associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). PTSD is associated with severe impairment and loss of resources which can severely impact a sheltered battered woman's ability to establish long-term safety for herself and her children. Conequently, we have developed a new treatment for sheltered battered women with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment (HOPE).

Correlates for legal help-seeking: contextual factors for battered women in shelter.

Legal redress can play a critical role in interrupting the pattern of domination and control inherent in intimate partner violence (IPV), yet it remains an infrequent strategy among battered women. The current study employed a contextual framework for investigating the correlates for engagement in the criminal justice system for a sample of 227 sheltered battered women. Results indicated that individual, relational, and system-level factors were all associated with two legal help-seeking behaviors: having a civil protection order and criminal prosecution.

Correlates of joining a sexual harassment class action.

Researchers have proposed a variety of factors that influence the decision to seek legal relief in response to sexual harassment, but have generally failed to test these proposals empirically. The present study aims to address this gap by investigating the decision to join a class-action lawsuit. Participants were female professionals at a nationally based financial services firm, who either participated in or opted out of a sexual harassment class-action proceeding against the company.

The relative contribution of abuse severity and PTSD severity on the psychiatric and social morbidity of battered women in shelters.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a severe health problem associated with significant distress and impairment in women. The most common psychiatric difficulty in battered women is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, no research to date has investigated the relative impact of the severity of IPV and IPV-related PTSD symptoms on battered women's psychosocial functioning. In a sample of 177 sheltered battered women, PTSD severity was associated with considerable psychiatric morbidity, social maladjustment, and personal and social resource loss.

PTSD compromises battered women's future safety.

Intimate partner violence continues to be a social crisis that results in a complex array of physical and mental health problems. Although resources to counteract the effects of the violence are sometimes available, the posttrauma sequelae may prevent access by those in need. Using the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study, a naturalistic longitudinal study of 320 abused women, the current study examined the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression on battered women's safety at follow-up.

Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term mass trauma intervention: empirical evidence.

Given the devastation caused by disasters and mass violence, it is critical that intervention policy be based on the most updated research findings. However, to date, no evidence-based consensus has been reached supporting a clear set of recommendations for intervention during the immediate and the mid-term post mass trauma phases. Because it is unlikely that there will be evidence in the near or mid-term future from clinical trials that cover the diversity of disaster and mass violence circumstances, we assembled a worldwide panel of experts on the study and treatment of those exposed to disaster and mass violence to extrapolate from related fields of research, and to gain consensus on intervention principles.

Utilization of mental health treatment and other services by battered women in shelters.

Objective: This study investigated the frequency and types of resources used by battered women in shelters, as well as factors that relate to greater use of mental health services and to seeking help from a greater number of resources.

Methods: A total of 164 African-American (N=94) and white (N=70) battered women in two shelters were examined by using a series of clinical interviews and self-report measures that assessed posttraumatic stress disorder and other axis I pathology, mental health treatment and other service use, abuse severity, and lifetime trauma prevalence.

Results: Results suggest that few of the women used available resources, especially mental health treatment, with African-American women less likely to use mental health treatment and criminal justice interventions.

The cortisol awakening response as a function of PTSD severity and abuse chronicity in sheltered battered women.

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant social problem associated with severe psychiatric problems, most notably PTSD, only a handful of studies has examined PTSD and associated physiological factors in battered women. Further, no research to date has investigated impact of abuse chronicity on HPA functioning. The present study examined the impact of PTSD severity and abuse chronicity on the cortisol awakening response in a sample of 52 sheltered battered women.

Examining the structural validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a U.S. sample of custodial grandmothers.

The authors examined the structural validity of the parent informant version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with a sample of 733 custodial grandparents. Three models of the SDQ's factor structure were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis based on the item covariance matrix. Although indices of fit were good across all 3 models, a model that included a newly hypothesized positive construal method factor in addition to the 4 symptom factors (Emotional Symptoms, Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity-Inattention, Peer Problems) and the single Prosocial Behavior factor originally intended for the SDQ provided the best representation of this instrument's latent structure.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the PTSD Checklist and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale in disaster workers exposed to the World Trade Center Ground Zero.

Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) factor analytic research has yielded little support for the DSM-IV 3-factor model of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms, no clear consensus regarding alternative models has emerged. One possible explanation is differential instrumentation across studies. In the present study, the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to compare a self-report measure, the PTSD Checklist (PCL), and a structured clinical interview, the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), in 2,960 utility workers exposed to the World Trade Center Ground Zero site.

Emotional numbing weakens abused inner-city women's resiliency resources.

Conservation of resources theory (S. E. Hobfoll, 1988, 1999) hypothesizes that loss of resiliency resources can contribute to abused women's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which, in turn, contribute to a further loss of resources, which can make abused women even more vulnerable to future stressors.

A cognitive-behavioral treatment for battered women with PTSD in shelters: findings from a pilot study.

Despite the high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among battered women in shelters, virtually no treatments for these women have been developed or tested. This study evaluated the initial feasibility and efficacy of an individual, cognitive-behavioral treatment for battered women with PTSD or subthreshold PTSD in shelters. Eighteen women participated in an open-trial where they received a new treatment, Helping to Overcome PTSD with Empowerment (HOPE).